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Top tips for attracting potential buyers to your home

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Published: 13 September 2016

Selling your home can be a stressful process. There’s no guarantee how long it can take or how many viewers you’ll attract, which can be especially frustrating when you’re looking to begin your new life in your next property.

With all the paperwork, phone calls and meetings involved in buying and selling houses, it can be easy to overlook the process of making your current home as presentable as possible to potential buyers.

These are our top tips on how to make your home attractive to potential buyers, helping you get your property off the market as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Neutralise your colour scheme

When selling your home, presentation is key. Try to view your property through the eyes of a potential buyer. Usually, buyers don’t want to have to redecorate straight away if they don’t have to. If your home is currently painted in bright colours to reflect your personality, it’s worth ‘dulling’ these down for marketing. Remember, you can put your own stamp on your next property and decorate it any way you like. A neutral colour scheme creates the impression of space and allows viewers the opportunity to imagine how they’d make your home their own.

De-clutter!

While you might be fond of the unusual artefact you brought back from foreign fields, or love to display photographs of your loved ones, buyers like to see clear surfaces and open spaces. Ornaments and accessories can make a room look untidy and crammed, and as a result they can make it difficult for the room to be presented to its full potential. With that in mind it’s advisable to box up any unnecessary pictures, ornaments and even fridge magnets during viewings.

We know of a property which was ornately decorated and filled to the brim with ornaments and fake plants, which was unsold for months. After some persuasion the sellers neutralised the décor and removed the majority of the contents – the property successfully sold only six weeks later.

For the animal lovers

You may love Larry the Labrador or Charlie the cat, but not everyone feels the same. Make sure your pet’s bedding is clean and out of the way if possible, and if you have an indoor cat, ensure the litter tray is emptied and fresh before any viewings. Dogs should be removed from the property for viewings if possible, as they can make some viewers nervous and that’s the last thing you want when you’re trying to sell your home!

Home sweet smelling home

A final and important point to mention is ‘smell’. First impressions count, so if a viewer walks into a house and someone has been cooking garlic for hours, or smoking, they will immediately be put off. If you’re a smoker, and can’t kick the habit, try not to smoke inside the property. If you’re an outside smoker, make sure all the cigarette ends are tidied up. Often people roast coffee, or stick bread in the oven to create a warm baking smell, but simple things like reed diffusers or portable air fresheners can make all the difference to first impressions, and don’t cost a lot of money.

It all sounds like a lot of hard work but once these things are addressed, and a successful buyer is found, it won’t be long before you can unpack those boxes and choose some colour charts for your new home!

For more details on any of the featured properties please visit www.stronachs.com/property or call the residential property team on 01224 626100.

You can also visit the residential property team at the upcoming Scottish Home Show at The AECC from 23 – 25 September, where Stronachs will be exhibiting.